Speak Now
by Charlie'sLostVampire
Summary: A one-shot inspired by the song by Taylor Swift: What happens when Elena goes away to college for a year and a half, only to discover, on the day it's happening, that /her/ Damon Salvatore is marrying Rebekah Mikaelson? Well, she does what any girl in love would do; she crashes the wedding. R&R?


_**Speak Now**_

_**~For Alex and Megan~**_

Elena was staring at her dorm room ceiling as she lied in bed, a frown plastered on her lips. She knew today was a big day. An important day. But… what day was it, exactly?

Midterms were over, so it wasn't an exam she was late for. She had the day off work at the bookstore downtown from where she now went to college, so she wasn't late for work.

_What was today?_

Sighing, she rolled over and picked up her cellphone, deciding to call Caroline. If anyone would know what it was she was late for, it would be her bubbly, overly punctual best friend who typically knew everyone else's schedule as well as she knew her own.

When Caroline didn't answer on the second ring as she typically did, Elena frowned. She had been about to just hang up and go to breakfast when she finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Care, hey; is everything okay? You took a while to answer…"

"Everything is perfect! I'm just busy, that's all. You know, with the wedding today and-"

"Wedding?" Elena asked, frowning. "Wait, slow down; whose wedding?"

There was a pause on the other line, and finally Caroline responded with, "You aren't coming?"

"Coming to what? I didn't even know anyone was getting married…"

"Elena," Caroline said slowly, suddenly fearing her friend's reaction. "It's… Damon. Damon is getting married; today. In a few hours. I thought you knew…?"

Elena's chocolate orbs widened in shock as she flew out of bed, shaking her head. It had been nearly a year and a half since she'd last seen Damon; with college and her new job, there had just never been any time. But how had she not known he was getting _married? _More importantly, who on earth could Damon Salvatore possibly be marrying?

"No, I _didn't _know!" Elena snapped, hurrying around her room, digging through her closet for something suitable to wear. "Who… who is he marrying?"

Caroline was silent again for nearly a solid three minutes before mumbling, "…Rebekah…"

Elena nearly dropped her phone with shock as she froze in what she had been doing, a small cry of shock and horror escaping her lips.

"Elena?" Caroline asked when she heard the noise. "Elena, are you okay…?"

"He's marrying _Rebekah? _Rebekah _Mikaelson? _As in the evil psycho bitch that nearly killed him when she chained him to the ceiling of the mansion?"

"The very same," Caroline responded. "Elena… if you're worried, you shouldn't be. He's happy, he really is. I just don't understand why he didn't invite you… he still cares about you."

Elena flinched at the words, her heart twisting. God, she missed him. The first few months without him had been hell. For the first few weeks until she got used to the place and made some new friends, Damon had practically lived on campus with her. Truth be told, he just hadn't been ready to say goodbye to her yet, nor accept the fact that she would be living half way across the country from him for the next, oh, four years?

Finally, Elena had told him to go home. As much as it pained her to do it, she would never have been able to move forward with her life if the past was still clinging to her, watching her every move through those passionate blue eyes…

She had never regretting a decision more in her life. Knowing that, if she were to call Damon after sending him away, hearing his voice would make her want him there, she'd neglected contacting him at all for the past year and a half.

Now she regretted that decision, too. He was getting _married? _To _Rebekah?_

"I know he still cares about me," Elena choked out as she pulled a small yellow dress out of her closet, examining it. Suddenly, it all clicked. The reason she hadn't been invited. It wasn't that Damon didn't want her there at all.

_Rebekah didn't want her there. Because _Damon cared about her. Not to mention, if he still cared about her… he most likely still loved her, too.

"…Elena…? Elena! Are you still there?"

"Uhh; yeah. Yeah, I am. You know what? If I wasn't invited, I wasn't invited. I don't need a reason. I'll talk to you later."

"Elena, wait…!"

With that, Elena hung up her phone and tossed it onto her bed, heading into the bathroom with the yellow dress in hand.

She had a wedding to crash.

… . … . … . … . … . … . …

"No, no, _no! God, _Caroline, it's all _wrong! _Can you do _anything _right, you stupid little twit…?"

Caroline flinched under Rebekah's angry words, and Klaus poked his head into the room in the Mikaelson manor Rebekah was getting ready in with a frown on his face.

"Rebekah, I'd appreciate it if you refrained from taking out all your foolish wedding angst on Caroline, please," he stated as he walked into the room, placing a hand on the slightly frightened blonde's shoulder.

Rebekah huffed. "It's not _stupid, _Nik; the wedding is in four hours, and your stupid little girlfriend got the flowers wrong! It was supposed to be roses and _petunias, _not roses and _daisies…_!"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Daisies look better than petunias, anyway! Who the hell has _petunias _in their bouquets, anyway…?"

"Caroline, love," Klaus said, turning her to face him. "Why don't you go check on Damon, see how he's doing? I'll deal with my little sister's tantrum."

"I am _not _having a tantrum…!"

"Rebekah…" Klaus muttered through clenched teeth in a warning tone, and she shut her mouth. Sighing, Caroline nodded.

"Fine, I'll go check on Damon…"

"Thank you," Klaus said with a smile, kissing her forehead and ushering her out the door. As soon as it closed behind her, more yelling could be heard.

"_Who the hell do you think you are, talking to Caroline like that? I ought to have your tongue chopped out and served to my bloody hybrids…!"_

_ "Oh, shut up, you ninny! We all know your hybrids don't have enough taste to enjoy a good tongue when they see it."_

_ "Oh, now you're insulting my hybrids, too? I swear, one more word, little sister and you can take this entire damn wedding and shove it up your frilly little…!"_

Caroline bit her lip to fight off her giggles as she walked away from the door and up the grand staircase, knocking on the door a few feet down the hallway to the left. When no one responded, Caroline knocked again with a frown before pushing the door open.

She groaned with irritation at the sight before her, quickly shutting the door and locking it, storming over to Damon, who was passed out on the sofa by the window, the curtains drawn tightly shut, a bottle of bourbon dangling limply from his fingers.

"_Damon Salvatore, you idiot!_" she hissed, shaking him roughly until he groaned, coming back to the land of the not-so-living.

"Car'line…?" he slurred, blinking at her. "Wussss goin' on…?"

She rolled her eyes. "_Your wedding, you ass! Get the hell up before you ruin that suit! Klaus paid a fortune for it…_"

"My weddin'…?" Damon blinked with confusion, taking another sip from the nearly empty bourbon bottle. "I'm getting married…?"

"Yes! In less than four hours!" Caroline hissed furiously as she forced him to his feet and fixed his wrinkled suit.

"Is 'Lena downstairs…?" he mumbled, blinking sleepily.

"Elena?" Caroline asked in confusion. "What are you talking about, Damon?"

"Well, you said I'm getting' married…" he said, stumbling toward the door. "If I'm getting' married, 'Lena _musss _be here…"

Caroline frowned, feeling sympathy flood her. "Why, Damon?" she asked, and he turned to her as though it should be obvious.

"I love 'er. Who else would I be marryin'…?"

Sighing, Caroline walked over and took the bourbon from him. "Damon, you're drunk. You're drunk and confused… and Elena isn't here."

Damon frowned, shaking his head. "Why not…?" he asked and his voice broke like a hurt child's.

"Because…" Caroline explained, helping him sit back down on the couch. "You're marrying Rebekah, not Elena. Elena is across the country at college… and she isn't coming."

"She has to come…" Damon practically whimpered. "She has to… has to come… 'Lena has to come… she _has _to…"

Grimacing at his hurt tone, Caroline eased him back down onto the couch so he way lying down. "Sleep it off, Damon…" she sighed. "We only have a few hours before you likely sign yourself off to a living hell…"

… . … . … . … . … . …

Elena had never driven so fast in her life, nor charmed her way out of more speeding tickets as she had today. Zooming into Mystic Falls in her car which was no freakishly low on gas, she checked every local church for any sign of a crowd. Finally, it dawned on her that only one place could ever be class enough for a Mikaelson to be married in;

Her own damn mansion.

Arriving outside the huge building, Elena frantically searched for a parking space. To her horror, it seemed like the entire town was gathered there. Whether it was the promise of free food or to just get a peek inside the biggest house in Mystic Falls, Elena really had no idea. All she knew was that she needed to get in there.

Which looked like it was going to be difficult, based on the fact that there was freaking security at the front door. Who did Rebekah think she was, Britney Spears?

Parking her car, Elena nervously stepped out and locked it, walking across the paved driveway in her shiny black heels and short yellow cocktail dress toward the front doors. When she made her way up the steps, she just went straight for the doors and attempted to push them open. Seconds later, she was being cut off and pushed back a few steps by two tall men in dark suits with sunglasses and… _earpieces? _Good God…

"Invitation?" the one with dusty red hair asked, and Elena blushed.

"I… don't have one. But it has to be a mistake! I know Damon!"

"Mmm; sure you do. Just like every other young woman who's tried to get in here. What's your excuse, sweetie? Did he sleep with you? Break your heart? All of the above?"

Elena glared at the other young man, a tall blond, who had spoken this time. "_No,_" she hissed angrily, sneering. "I'm _Elena Gilbert._"

"Oh, how nice for you," the red head said nonchalantly. "Same rules still apply, Elena Gilbert; no invite no admission. Now please get off the Mikaelson's property before we're forced to remove you."

Frowning, Elena took a step closer. "Can I ask you a question?"

The blond raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Are you hybrids?" she stated bluntly, and their eyes widened.

"How… how do you…?"

"Yeah; I thought so. You'd think you'd be a bit more grateful to the person whose blood made you what you are right now."

Their eyes practically bugged out of their heads, and the redhead was suddenly a gushing mass of apologies.

"Oh, Miss Gilbert, we didn't know… we were instructed to only let in people with invitations…"

The blond was spewing words, too. "We're so sorry about this mix up; of course your invitation must have gotten lost in the mail…"

"Right," she said, stepping closer. "So, then it should be no problem at all to open those doors for me."

"Of course!" the redhead said quickly, opening the door. Elena gave him a charming smile and walked inside.

"Thank you!"

Pushing her way through the small crowd of people still gathered in the entry hall, Elena made her way over to the ballroom, where the ceremony was set up. She kept her head down, quickly ducking behind a curtain on one of the tall windows, glancing up the aisle as she peeked carefully out.

There he was. Damon Salvatore in all of his gorgeous, charming glory. There was something she hadn't expected, though. When walking in here, she had expected to see that megawatt smile on his lips; after all, Caroline had told her that he was happy about this.

So why did he look so forlorn?

Leaning her cheek against the windowpane, a soft smile crept to her lips as she began to remember a few of the things that had happened when she had first started college; when she'd had Damon all to herself. There was her first week in the dorms, when she had been told they were haunted, and had been terrified when she heard a bump in the night. She'd called Damon, who was in Mystic Falls at the time, and told him how scared she was.

He was at her door four hours later at three a.m. with her teddy bear from home and a concerned expression.

Then there was her first midterm. Good grief that had been an experience. Nothing quite beat living off of coffee and staying up all hours of the night studying everything from the reproduction patterns of frogs, to which of Shakespeare plays was most tragic and why.

Had it not been for Damon's little game of "Trivial Blood" she had passed out and failed before the first day was up. Basically, if she got a question right, she fed off of him, which helped her stay awake longer. If she got one wrong… well, you get the idea.

Needless to say, the game had gotten a bit… steamy when it came time to study the human anatomy. Blushing at the memory, Elena recalled just what it had been like to let Damon take her for the first in her creaky old dorm room bed, beside her teddy bear with books surrounding them.

To her immense disappointment, the first time had also been the last. It had only been a week or so after that she told him to go home; that she needed to get used to being on her own for a while.

Damon had looked like she had slapped him in the face when she said that, and had dejectedly agreed to her wishes, assuming she would at least call him.

When he went four months without a word from Elena, he'd sent Stefan of all people to make sure she was alright. Elena and Stefan weren't exactly on the best of terms since their break up when high school ended, and Stefan had been reluctant to do so. But, when he'd found out he only had to spy, not speak, he agreed.

After receiving reports back that Elena was fine, had a job, and new friends, Damon had half-heartedly offered to go out with Rebekah. One thing leads to another… and now, here they were.

He was marrying the exact opposite of the person he wanted to be with.

But maybe that was why he was marrying her; it hurt too much to be constantly reminded of what could have been.

Elena and Damon both jumped, pulled out of their clearly riveting thoughts by the sound of the piano beginning to play, signaling the beginning of the ceremony. Elena noticed Caroline walking down the aisle, and couldn't help but giggle at the absolutely _horrible _dull pink, frilly bride's maid dress she was wearing; she couldn't help but wonder just what Klaus had been forced to do to convince her to wear _that. _

After Caroline was Stefan and a blonde girl Elena didn't recognize, along with Elijah and a brunette who Elena, once again, didn't recognize. She couldn't help but notice Kol was seated in the audience and not a part of the ceremony; clearly, Damon still hadn't gotten over the whole, "Imma beat 'chu with a bat 'cause you snapped my neck" thing.

Finally, the bridal march began to play and everyone was on their feet, watching Rebekah walk down the aisle in an absolutely huge flouncy, glittering white dress on Klaus' arm, grinning snootily from ear to ear at Damon, who was clearly plastering on a rather forced smile.

When she reached the front of the ballroom and her hands were joined with Damon's, everyone took their seats.

"We are gathered here today, to join these two souls in holy matrimony…"

The words trailed off in Elena's mind as she watched Damon's face; he looked so confused, so lost, so unhappy; all masked behind that perfectly formulated smile he was so good at using to hide just how much pain he was really in.

Elena hated that smile. It wasn't the smile she wanted to ever see on Damon's face, a face which had seen so much hatred and neglect…

Even his "I'm up to no good," smirk was better than that smile. All she wanted to do was make Damon smile, his real smile again… The smile she knew very well only she brought to his face; the smile that had very rarely graced his lips since 1864.

"If anyone has any reason why these two should not be wed, please speak now, or forever hold your peace."

The room was silent. Damon glanced out at the crowd, a tiny glimmer of hope, of pleading in his eyes. At that very moment, Elena knew…

"Damon, I love you!"

The room was silent. Shock was evident on every face in the entire place before it erupted with noise and yelling, everyone fighting for a look at the voice that had interrupted the ceremony "of a lifetime."

Elena stood in the middle of the aisle, staring up at Damon, and his eyes had locked on her the second she stepped out from behind the curtain.

"Elena…?" he mumbled, a bit shell-shocked, and she stepped forward a few steps. The room was madness, and Caroline, from her spot next to the furious Rebekah, knew they were going to get nowhere unless everyone shut up. Glancing at Klaus for moment, she made up her mind and stalked across the stage, lunging at him and pinning him down to the floor in front of everyone, kissing him in a way that left very little to the imagination as her hands traveled all over him. Not hesitant at all in following her lead, he did the same, and they continued until everyone in the room shut up and gaped at them in shock. Pulling her cherry colored lips away from Klaus', they both stood up and looked out at the crowd, very rumbled and dishevelled.

"Now that I have your attention, could you all _please shut the hell up, and let Elena speak?_"

"_No…_!" Rebekah snapped, and Damon glared at her.

"Let her speak," he said through clenched teeth, and turned his gaze back to Elena.

Taking a nervous breath and biting her lip, Elena continued.

"I love you, Damon… and I know I should have told you that a year and a half ago. I should have told you that after we…" She blushed, shaking her head, "I should have told you before it was too late. But I know you, Damon; I know you better than anyone knows you. This isn't really what you want, is it? It's not really what's going to make you happy? Look; I know I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't even be here; I wasn't invited…"

"You weren't invited?" Damon asked with confusion, frowning. "What do you mean you weren't invited?"

Elena glanced at Rebekah, who glared straight back, and Elena sighed. "That isn't the point. The point is… you can't do this, Damon. You can't do this, because… I don't want you to."

Damon frowned and stepped down off of the stage, storming up to her. "I can't do this because _you don't want me to?_ Why should that matter to me, Elena? I haven't spoken to you in over a damn year! You could have died for all I knew!"

"I did it for you! I didn't call because I knew I'd want you back with me as soon as I heard your voice!"

"Why is that a _bad _thing, Elena?"

"It isn't, _now! _Back then, when I thought I had to escape from my old life? Yeah, it was kind of a bad thing! But I was _wrong _Damon. Okay? I was _wrong. _I need you now just as much as I needed you then, and I can't let you go through with this, because I love you, and I want you, and I need you so badly…"

"Elena…"

"…and if you marry Rebekah, we'll never know what could have happened between us, had we given it a real try…"

"_Elena…_"

"…and I just can't bear the thought of losing you to her, after everything we've been through…"

"Oh, for the love of…" Damon grumbled, grabbing her cheeks and yanking her lips to his, kissing her deeply, right in front of everyone. Elena's eyelashes fluttered with shock when he pulled back, and he gave her a weak smile.

"If you want me back, all you have to do is ask."

A slow smile creeping onto her lips, Elena thrust herself into his arms, kissing him with passion. To their immense surprise, nearly everyone in the crowd erupted with applause, jumping to their feet, whooping and hollering, most of them shouting, "_FINALLY!_"

Meanwhile, Rebekah was breathing heavily with rage as she watched the events unfold at _her wedding. _She had been preparing to lunge at them when Caroline noticed what she was doing and pounced, sending the Original bitch plunging from the stage and onto her face, her dress falling in folds around her, her legs flailing in the air.

Klaus gaped in shock at his squealing sister, his eyes flying between her and a very smug, still much disheveled Caroline. After a moment, he burst into hysterical laughter, pointing at his furious sister, falling to his knees as tears poured from his eyes.

"You… you look like… you look like a bloody squashed pastry, Bekah…!"

"Urrrrrgghhh! _SHUT UP YOU WANKER!_" Rebekah hissed as she flailed until she fell forward onto her back.

Damon slowly, reluctantly pulled away from Elena's lips and grabbed her up in his arms, blurring her from the room and upstairs, sitting her down in one of the spare bedrooms, closing the door behind them.

"What made you change your mind about how you felt?" he whispered to her now that they found themselves in blissful silence.

Elena gazed up at him and gave him a small smile. "I was going to come out just to watch. Caroline told me you were happy with Rebekah… but I could tell, as soon as I saw you that you weren't. I started thinking back to how things were right when I started college; how good they were. The fact that they were good enough that we actually… slept together."

Elena took a breath before continuing. "I didn't want to lose that, Damon. I didn't want to lose my chance with the one man who makes me happy; who I make happy. It's like I said; I want you, I need you… I love you."

He smiled softly and pulled her into his arms, pecking her lips gently, mumbling against them, "I love you, too…"

Grinning as he pulled back, he gave her a once over. "I love the dress, by the way; yellow is absolutely gorgeous."

As Caroline walked by the door to find her camera to take a picture of Rebekah's demise, she couldn't help but pause when she heard Damon's words, frowning, slightly offended. Scowling as she stalked down the hall, she grumbled, "He told me I looked awful in yellow…"


End file.
